A microwave oven is a kitchen appliance that can heat food and other items by exposing them to radiation, such as microwave radiation. Many microwave ovens are equipped with trays (also referred to as turntables) that rotate the contents of the microwave while it is being heated. To enable the turntables to rotate, the microwaves include a motor that is connected to a coupling located on the floor of the microwave interior and which causes the coupling to rotate when the motor is powered on. A tray can be connected to the coupling and may rest on a support structure, e.g., such as a circular roller ring or a three-armed triangular support, that assists the tray with rotating.
Although microwave ovens heat food faster than wall ovens (e.g., gas or electric powered wall ovens), many individuals still prefer to cook food using wall ovens. This is because food that is cooked in wall ovens generally tastes better than food that is prepared in a microwave oven. This can be attributed, at least in part, to the fact that food which is prepared in a microwave oven is not always uniformly heated, thus resulting in “cold spots” in the food. The cold spots result from the manner in which the microwave ovens are manufactured, e.g., the manner in which radiation is emitted in a grid-like pattern in that creates “dead spots” inside of the microwave ovens where there are lower temperatures than other spots.
Another reason why individuals prefer wall ovens is because the process of cooking food in a microwave oven can be frustrating and tedious, as it often requires an individual to tend to the food during the cooking cycle. For example, an individual is often required to interrupt the cooking process in order to flip or rotate food being heated on a plate, and/or to stir or mix food that is being heated in a bowl. Therefore, cooking food in a microwave oven can be an aggravation and often results in food that does not taste as good as food that is cooked in a wall oven.
Despite the widespread use of microwave ovens for many decades in both residential and commercial environments, there has been very little improvement in terms of developing accessories for use in the microwave ovens. Most food is prepared in a microwave oven using plates, bowls or other cookware items. These cookware items do not assist individuals with cooking food within the microwave oven and, instead, require individuals to interrupt the cooking process to avoid cold spots in the food as explained above.